Pokemon fans (and non fans), this is for you! Situated in Pokémon Center Tokyo DX, on the fifth floor of the Nihonbashi Takashimaya Department Store, Pokemon Cafe Tokyo is, as its name suggests, themed after the popular Pokemon franchise.

Currently, there are 2 permanent Pokemon cafes in Japan, 1 in Tokyo and 1 in Osaka. As expected, due to popularity it’s often fully booked so online reservations system are a must if you want to visit. I had chance to visit them both during my recent trip to Japan and here’s everything you need to know about both Pokemon Cafes.

The Menu

The menu is pretty small and is the same at both Pokemon Cafes. There are only 3 mains here, so if you’re looking for variety, you’ll likely be disappointed. However they do taste pretty decent, which surprised me as I did not expect food in a themed cafe to be any good.

There is also an option to pay extra for Pokémon themed plate and/or glass for some dishes. You will be given a new, clean plate and/or glass when you make payment, it won’t be the one you dine with so don’t worry about having to wash the plate and/or glass!

The menu changes frequently based on special events such as Halloween or launch of games. We visited in March 2023 and the cafe was celebrating the launch of Pokemon Scarlet and Violent.

Food

Everybody’s Favorite Pikachu Plate! (¥1848)

Everybody’s Favorite Pikachu Plate! is made up of omelette rice, macaroni casserole, tempura, wedges and hamburg steak. I’d say this is the most balanced out of the 3 dishes as it came with a variety of dishes, and most worth the dollar in my opinion.

Everyone’s Attracted to Eevee Plate (¥1848)

Everyone’s Attracted to Eevee Plate comes with bread, mini quiche, potato salad, wedges and a clam chowder. In my opinion, this was my least favourite dish, and feel that it’s not worth the price. The bread, which is what eevee’s head is made of, was extremely dry and tough. Other food items on the plate were pretty yummy though and I really enjoyed the quiche and potato salad.

Snorlax’s Tummy Filling Nap Lunch Plate (¥1958)

Snorlax’s Tummy Filling Nap Lunch Plate is the most expensive item on the menu and is made up of fried rice, wedges and chicken. The portion of rice and chicken was huge compared to the other dishes, and both weren’t dry.

Sweets (Desserts)

Pokémon Cafe’s Pikachu Souffle Pancake (¥1848)

This was my favourite out of all the dishes I’ve tried. The pancake was soft and fluffy, so if there’s only 1 thing you can get at the cafe, it’s this. It was also pretty filling so if you’re a small eater, I would say it’s quite sufficient for a meal.

Drinks

Say Hello to Eevee’s Royal Milk Tea (¥1,298)

As its name suggests, this drink is made up of royal milk tea (like the bottled ones you can find all across Japan), whipped cream and French almond cake.

Gengar’s Confuse Ray Smoothie (¥990)

The Gengar’s Confuse Ray Smoothie is a grape-flavoured slushie drink with 2 biscuits. You can top up ¥1000 for the take-home glass.

Choose Your Pokemon Latte

One of the stars of the menu is the Choose your Pokemon Latte, which allows you to choose your favourite Pokemon to be printed on the drink. You can choose between hot/iced latte (¥770), hot/iced mocha (¥825) or hot/iced caramel latte (¥825). Each drink also comes with the option of paying extra for the take-home cup.

Pikachu Performance

You can also expect to participate in cheering and clapping with Pikachu during your visit. The performance basically a sing-along session for the kids, but you will also see many adults whipping out their phones for a video.

Pokemon Cafe Special Merchandise

Each Pokemon Cafe also has a merchandise corner near the cashier. Both Pokemon Cafe outlets sold the same things — Pokemon Cafe-exclusive plushies, dinnerware and utensils. Check out the website for the full list of merch, but note that not all may be available in stock.

How To Reserve?

As mentioned earlier, reservations are basically a must if you want to guarantee your visit. You can make reservations 31 days in advance. Slots open at 6pm Japan time.

Firstly, decide on the outlet you want to visit. Click the left for Pokemon Cafe Tokyo and right for Pokemon Cafe Osaka.

Once you’ve selected the outlet you want to visit, you will be brought to a page to start the reservation process. If you have auto translate on your browser, switch the language back to Japanese as the translate function may mess up some of the reservation steps. Most pages come in both Japanese and English languages, so don’t worry about not being able to read Japanese.

Next, click “Make a Reservation”

Third, input the number of guests. A calendar will appear and you’ll be shown dates with available seating. White represents available and grey means fully booked.

Next, you’ll be shown the full list of tables in the cafe. You can select anything that is in blue.

What Is The Difference Between The Areas?

There are 4 areas, A, B C and D for Pokemon Cafe Tokyo. Pokemon Cafe Osaka only has 3 areas — A, B and C.

For Pokemon Cafe Tokyo, A, B and C are table seats that can be booked for 2 – 8 diners, while D is a large communal table that can be booked for 1 – 2 diners

A: Jigglypuff/Pikachu Area
B: Snorlax Area
C: Eevee Area
D: Lapras Area

Do note that the Pokemon are just for naming the areas, the tables don’t actually come with anything related to the Pokemon the area is named after. There’s no difference to the area you pick, just secure a table!

For Pokemon Cafe Osaka, A and B are table seats that for 2 – 8 diners. C seats are counter seats and table seats, and can be reserved for 1 – 8 diners. Pokemon Cafe Osaka does not use Pokemon to label the areas.

Once you’ve selected the time and area you want, you will be asked to key in your details.

Next, you’ll be shown the available exclusive merchandise. Note that you can only purchase these during reservation and will not be able to get them at the shop. So if you change your mind and want to buy something after making the reservation, it’s too late.

Once you’ve decided on your purchase, you’ll be shown a page with your details. Make sure everything is correct and you’ll be sent an email with your reservation details.

Make sure to arrive 15 minutes before the time of your reservation and they will only hold your table for 15 minutes, so don’t be late!

On They Day of Reservation

When you arrive at Pokemon Cafe, you’ll have to show the staff your confirmation email before being shown to your table. Your reservation gives you a 90-minute slot but you don’t have to stay the entire duration, though I would recommend stay long enough to at least watch the Pikachu performance.

Pokemon Cafe Tokyo

Opening hours: 10.30am – 10.00pm 
Address: Nihombashi Takashimaya Shopping Center
2-4-1 Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8265

Pokemon Cafe Osaka

Opening hours: 10am – 9.30pm
Address: Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store, Main Building 9F,
1-7-1, Shinsaibashisuji, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Pref., 542-8501

Pikachu Sweets

If you’re unable to make time or a reservation at Pokemon Cafe, but still want a Pokemon treat, you can check out Pikachu Sweets by Pokemon Cafe. Pikachu Sweets is a takeaway cafe, which means there are no seats and no reservations are needed.

Just like the Pokemon Cafe, Pikachu Sweets offer a seasonal menu on top of their usual menu as well.

As we got there at 7pm, many things were already sold out, so we settled for a Cheek Rubbing Hot Milk Tea (¥702), topped with a cute Pikachu-shaped chocolate. Pikachu Sweets also sells exclusive merchandise such as drink sleeves which you can purchase with your drink.

Pikachu Sweets is located in Sunshine City, on the same level as Pokemon Centre Mega Tokyo.

Opening hours: 10am – 8pm
Address: 〒170-8630 3-1-2 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Sunshine City Specialty Store Alpa 2F